Top 10 smartphone innovations of 2011Blog 12/30/2011 26 commentsAs smartphones become ever more ubiquitous and the speed of mobile innovation increases exponentially month by month, keeping track of the big innovations over a full year can seem a futile task. The changes, once recorded seem almost incremental when looked at through the year’s rear view mirror.

Chinese foundries confirm mergerNews & Analysis 12/29/2011 9 commentsHua Hong Semiconductor and Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing, China's second and third largest foundries, said they completed a merger between the two companies.

Can Apple make a better Web TV?News & Analysis 12/27/2011 23 commentsCan Apple crystallize the emerging concept of a Web-connected TV into a must-have product as it has done with MP3 players, smartphones and tablets?

Soitec to acquire Alatech SemiNews & Analysis 12/27/2011 Post a commentElectronic materials vendor Soitec said it would acquire all of the outstanding shares of French chip equipment company Alatech Semiconductor by the end of January 2012.

Back StoryNews & Analysis 12/27/2011 6 commentsWe have compiled our “Confidential Top 10,” the ten most well-read EE Times Confidential stories this year. We have also put together "back stories," illustrating what have motivated us to go after a specific story.

ESL, down under styleNews & Analysis 12/26/2011 2 commentsI love it when I discover new EDA companies, especially those in the ESL field. Introducing VWorks…

Touchscreens adopt on-cover over in-cellNews & Analysis 12/22/2011 3 commentsLCD vendors worldwide are being pressured by smartphone and tablet makers to quickly integrate touch into the display itself, using in- or on-cell sensors, but slow development has prompted add-on touchscreen vendors to offer interim sensor-on-cover, touch-on-lens, and similar one-glass solutions, at least for 2012.

Indian chip firm hits rare milestoneNews & Analysis 12/22/2011 11 commentsAn announcement by Cosmic Circuits that it has shipped 12 million ICs so far didn't garner a lot of attention internationally, but made waves here because it marks the first time an Indian chip company has attained such numbers.

Self-healing system repairs broken wires, tracesResearch 12/22/2011 13 commentsA team of University of Illinois engineers has developed a self-healing system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit. Liquid metal contained in microcapsules, released by the damage, fills in the gap in the circuit, restoring electrical flow.

Chip sales for smart meters set to doubleNews & Analysis 12/21/2011 13 commentsSales of semiconductors used in smart electricity meters are projected to grow to $1.1 billion in 2016 from $505.6 million in 2011, due to rapid growth expected for the devices, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.